Friend,
This week, we are marking the one-year anniversary of the devastating winter storm that left 11 million people across Texas, including me and my family, without power and water for days and with damage everywhere for months. During those freezing days and nights, 246 Texans — from age 1 to 102 — died of hypothermia, carbon monoxide poisoning, fires from trying to keep warm, and car accidents. It was absolutely devastating for all who lived through it — and we see this week that we are still trying to heal.
I said it then, and it remains as true as ever today, that the Texas winter storm showed us just how much leadership matters.
We saw a failure of leadership immediately, as state leaders rushed to deflect blame. In the year since, we have seen that failure of leadership again and again. Despite promises to fix the grid, those responsible for doing so did little of consequence. The Texas Legislature passed a law that looked like it required winterization for this critical infrastructure — but it also allowed companies to opt out of doing so at the same time. Regulations requiring weatherization are stalled. Agencies tasked with oversight have done little to investigate or mitigate.
But we also saw real leadership. People worked around the clock to get others to safety, to get them information, to get the heat back on. I worked with many of our local leaders — from City Council to County Commissioners — to distribute water, and supplies, and reliable information and worked with leaders of all kinds offering help.
This week’s anniversary coincided with another important event: the start of early voting here in Texas. And it is fitting because another lesson of the storm is so important this year: elections matter.
Through the monumental events of the last several years, we all have seen how much who we elect to lead our communities and our country shapes us all. We have seen those elected leaders who have risen to the many challenges we face with compassion and community in mind. And we have seen those who fail to do so. Who we elect matters.
And that brings me to one more reminder this week: You matter. Electing those who lead with head and heart, who help and heal, who unify and inspire takes a coalition. It takes all kinds of work, all the time. And it can’t happen without you.
As we head into the 2022 midterms, the stakes could not be higher. I am grateful to you for being a part of this team, and excited about what we can accomplish this year in Texas and across the country.
Together, we can do anything,
